Oside star crowned national champion
South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao caps perfect, historic season with NCAA title over Iowa as more than 18 million tuned in
OCEANSIDE — She can now call herself a national champion.
Oceanside native Te-Hina Paopao, 21, played a central role on Sunday in helping lead No. 1-ranked South Carolina to an 87-75 win over Iowa to win the women’s NCAA basketball championship in Cleveland. Paopao, a combo guard and Oregon transfer scored 14 points with three 3-pointers and two assists in 22 minutes.
In addition, the game, which featured arguably the most famous college basketball player in Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark, averaged 18.7 million viewers making it the most viewed basketball game — college or pro — in the past five years, according to reports.
While Clark was the main attraction, Paopao and the Gamecocks were the show as South Carolina rallied from a seven-point first-quarter deficit to claim the title to cap a perfect and historic 38-0 season. For Paopao, the last several days have been a whirlwind and will be capped with a parade through the streets of Columbia, S.C. on Sunday to celebrate the program’s third national title.
“I can’t put into words how much this year has meant to me,” she said. “Just looking back on my journey and battling things such as injuries … it’s been a long way. This season has been everything I’ve dreamed of and I wished for. I had goals and I met every one of them. One of them was a national championship, which I got.”
Paopao’s journey to national champion began in her native Oceanside. The youngest of four siblings, she said basketball was her sport after being dragged to her brother’s practices and games for other sports.
Paopao said she didn’t want to play in the sun and was not a fan of volleyball uniforms, so basketball was it. She took to the game and soon realized she had potential in seventh grade, she said.
Basketball took a hold of her mainly because of the relationships Paopao formed, whether it was teammates, coaches or other girls playing, she said. It also gave her a release and another way to enjoy life.
Then her life changed when she decided to attend La Jolla Country Day High School in University City in San Diego. But the start of her career was beset by two major injuries.
Paopao tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) twice — during her freshman and sophomore seasons — but her faith in God and the support of her family pulled her through the dark times.
“God and family got me through that time,” Paopao recalled. “My family was always there. I had a lot of supporters in my hometown. All glory to God and I wouldn’t be here without Him.”
From there, she became the most dominant girl’s player in the state in 2020 leading the Torreys to a 32-1 record, No. 1 ranking in the country, being named a McDonald’s High School All-American and the California Gatorade Player of the Year. Paopao averaged 17.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and four assists per game, although the 2020 state championship game was canceled due to the pandemic.
When it came time for her collegiate career, she committed and played three seasons at the University of Oregon. Paopao said she’s a West Coast girl and wanted to stay close to home, but far enough away to grow as a person, so Oregon was a natural fit.
However, she wanted more and was looking at her future, one she hopes includes being drafted or making a WNBA roster. So, Paopao entered the transfer portal and was set to enroll at TCU, where one of her former coaches at Oregon, Mark Campbell, took over the Horned Frogs.
But then a life-changing call came, Paopao said. She got word from her high school coach, Terri Bamford, that Dawn Staley, the legendary South Carolina coach and Hall of Famer, had called to inquire about Paopao playing for the Gamecocks.
From there, Paopao knew where she was going. Staley and her staff were the biggest reason as they have turned South Carolina into a powerhouse.
The growth under Staley and the high-profile games and TV appearances have also led to many former Gamecocks to the WNBA. Add those up and it was exactly the type of program Paopao sought out.
As for TCU, the Horned Frogs started the season 14-0 but then had to forfeit two games after a rash of injuries left TCU without enough eligible players. The Frogs held open tryouts from the student body to fill the roster and ended the season 21-12 and missed the NCAA Tournament.
“I thought I could go somewhere where they could help me as a player,” she said of going to South Carolina. “You need your name out there to be in the league (WNBA). It just felt like I needed to be challenged more. I needed to compete against girls who wanted to be better, who wanted win and get to that big national stage like we did on Sunday.”
This season, though, was not focused on an undefeated season, she said. However, the Paopao and the Gamecocks thrashed nearly every opponent with just two opponents coming within 10 points through the first 17 games of the season.
Paopao said her play dramatically improved this season under Staley and her staff’s coaching. Paopao had a season-high 21 points against perennial powerhouse UConn in an 83-65 win on Feb. 11.
She averaged 11 points, 3.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46% both from the floor and 3-point range. While her game has gone to another level, Paopao said she plans to return to South Carolina next season.